Teach Your Children

Throughout this week as school is winding down, we are looking at what the Bible has to say about training up a child in the way he should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Here are some things we can train our families in:  

1.  Relationships.  For better or for worse, your happiness in life is determined by your relationships.  If you know how to relate to people, if you know how to get along with people, you're probably going to be happy a good percentage of your life.  If you don't know how to get along, if you don't know how to relate to people, you're going to be miserable most of your life.  One of the most important skills the family teaches is how to relate.  

Right or wrong, the way you relate to other people you picked up those skills growing up.  Sometimes people grow up in dysfunctional homes and you have to relearn later on how to relate to people because you never learned to relate to people in the right way.  You didn't learn how to resolve conflict.  You either blew up or clammed up.  You do different kinds of inappropriate behaviors so you have to relearn.  So as parents we have to teach and we have to model basic things about relationships.  

Good relationships don't just happen.  You don't just have a good marriage.  You don't just have a good friendship.  It takes time, it takes work.  Relationships have to be built. They are built on things like truthfulness, honesty and vulnerability.  It takes communication.  You cannot have a relationship without communication.  It takes authenticity. It takes massive doses of forgiveness to build a healthy relationship.  Because you're going to be hurt and you're going to hurt others.  Sometimes intentionally.  Sometimes unintentionally.  We have to teach our kids how to resolve conflict.  They need to see not only when you as a parent have a conflict with your spouse, but how you resolve it. We need to teach healthy relationships.

Tomorrow we will look at training up a child in character. 

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Establishing a healthy relationship with God and with God’s people is just one of the benefits of sending your child or grandchild to Victory Christian Academy. Fall enrollment is starting now. Contact me at kyle@celebratejesus.org if you would like to find out more about our church’s school.